Where You Are
by Misty411
Summary: Ash and Misty are forced to work together as partners at Prof. Oaks lab for about 6 months, which they are less than thrilled about. Through the hardships of running the lab, can the two teens find love? (Chapter 6 up! Finished...almost.)
1. Chapter 1

Where You Are:  
A Pokemon Story  
Written by: Misty411 (a.k.a. SINGLF)  
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Disclaimer stuff: I don't own "Pokemon" or any of the corresponding characters ( Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Gary, etc., except for Crystal Lockheart and Chad Dawson who are my characters that I made up). Pokemon is owned by Gamefreak, Creatures, and Nintendo. I also don't own the song featured in this fic called "Where You Are" which is performed by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey on her debut album, "Sweet Kisses." It is owned and copyrighted by Sony Music Entertainment Inc. This fic, however, is mine and it is illegal to copy it. Yada, yada. And anything else I forgot. Thanks.   
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Current Ages:  
Ash: 15  
Misty: 16  
Crystal: 16  
Chad: 17  
Brock: 17  
Gary: 15  
Mrs. Ketchum: 35  
Prof. Oak: 68  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Many months have passed since the Pokemon League Competition. Ash Ketchem, a young boy from Pallet Town, stares out at the shimmering sea in front of him, reminiscing about his past adventures. His best friend (although he would never admit it), Misty, sits by his side cradling her baby pokemon, Togepi, to sleep. His other best friend, a small yellow mouse pokemon named Pikachu, rests peacefully in his lap.   
  
They're on a cruise ship headed for their next destination and, undoughtedly, their next adventure. Many close encounters and surprising situations have happened to him and his friends in the past few years, but he doesn't regret having one moment. He knows he has grown and matured a lot from the first day he set out on his pokemon journey to become the world's greatest pokemon master. Everyday that goes by, his desire to be the best grows with every new pokemon he meets. It had been just Pikachu, Misty, Brock, and him for a while, until Brock had sadly left the group to stay with Prof. Ivy on Valencia Island to help her tend to the pokemon. He knew Brock also had his eyes on her when they had left and, although she was very smart and beautiful, she was just to old for him, being that he was about 17 and she was at least in her late twenties. Ash smiled to himself and shook his head. Brock could never win with women. Apparently, neither could he though with Misty still around, arguing every chance she got. He had come to expect her bratty attitude as an everyday thing now and just went along with it.   
  
"What's on your mind, Ash?"  
  
Ash looked over at Misty who had set Togepi down now and had stretched out on a chair to relax. She had noticed him smiling and was now looking at him curiously.   
  
"Nothing really. Just about the past." he said as he too stretched out on a chair to relax, careful not to wake Pikachu.   
  
"Yea, I know what you mean. A lot has happened since I fished you out of the water a few years ago, and even though Brock is gone and Tracey left to go on his own adventures, I have always thought of you as my closest friend."   
  
Ash flinched. He had never expected her to admit that or feel that way.   
"So I guess this means you don't care about the bike I owe you anymore," he smirked.   
  
"No way! I'm not letting you get out of it that easily! I fully intend on you paying me back for my bike, Mr. Pokemon Master."  
  
Ash sighed. Here we go again.  
  
  
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1-1 "Welcome Home"  
  
  
  
"Hey, Ash. Look! It's Cerulean City!" Misty beams as they sail  
past her home town. She misses her home and her sisters more and more everyday, but she knows that the home-sickness is part of becoming a great pokemon trainer. Still, she couldn't wait to show her sisters all she had accomplished since she had last seen them.  
  
Ash, who had been reading a subscription of a Pokemon magazine, looked up to  
peer at the famous little town. He remembered the first time he had traveled to Cerulean City to win his second badge. It was also the first time he had ever battled against Misty. It seemed like every place they passed held some kind of memory with Brock, Misty, or Tracey.   
  
Misty finally pulled herself away from the edge of the ship and walked over to the  
chair and grabbed her things. "I think I'll try out the pool and go for a swim. Do you  
wanna come, Ash?"  
  
Ash smiled but shook his head. "I'm getting a little hungry. I think me and  
Pikachu are going to check and see what's on the menu. Whata ya say, Pikachu, wanna go?  
"Piii!" Pikachu smiled.  
  
Later, after Ash and Pikachu got done eating, they decided to go find Misty. The boat would be approaching Pallet Town soon, Ash's home town, so they would have to get ready to leave soon. They decided to go to Pallet next because they had talked to Prof. Oak a few days ago and he had an important message for the both of them. 'I hope it's nothing serious!' Ash thought to himself.  
  
They checked the pool but Misty was nowhere to be found. Then they saw a  
crowd of guys swarming over a girl in the distance. No dought some famous actress or a model that they were drooling over. He couldn't quite make out who it was, though. "Come on Pikachu. Let's find out who the big celebrity is."   
  
Ash tried to make his way through the crowd but was accidentally shoved into some older guy. Just as the guy was about to pulverize him, a voice yelled out at them, "Don't hurt him. He's with me." Ash turned to see who had saved him when there before his eyes he saw who the girl was. It was Misty!   
  
She was relaxing on a lawn chair, soaking up some rays in her bikini. Ash felt a  
small fire stir inside of him as he glanced at her. She looked breath taking. He shook the thoughts from his head and walked over to her. "Sorry guys but I have to get ready to leave now." Misty said to the crowd. "I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to sign all of your autographs. Next time maybe."  
  
As the guys began to leave Ash looked at her with a confused look on his face.   
"What was that all about?" he asked, trying to keep his cool. "Oh, those were just a few people who had seen me perform that one time as the mermaid at Cerulean Gym. Can you believe all those people were fans of mine?"  
  
"The only thing I believe is that they wanted more than just your autograph." Ash  
growled. Misty just smiled to herself. Was Ash jealous? "Anyway, we came to tell you that it's time to leave now so you have to go change and get ready. We only have 15 minutes to get off so you have to hurry." "All right, all right. I'm going, I'm going,"she said as she began to leave. Then she turned and gave a quick hug to Ash. "Thanks for looking out for me, Mr. Ketchum." Then she turned and headed for her room to get ready.   
  
A few hours later, they arrived at the Ketchum home where Ash's Mom put on  
another show of how she missed her baby boy. Pikachu and Misty snickered at his  
situation in the background. "Mom, I know you want to talk about everything I did since I left home again," Ash muffled as his Mom gave him a big bear hug,"but I need to go to Prof. Oak and see what he needs from me."   
  
"O.K. honey, I'll have dinner ready when you get back. Have fun."  
After finally getting away from his Mom, Ash, Misty, and Pikachu head toward  
the Oak Laboratory. When they arrive, the Prof. begins to explain why they were called there. They were surprised to discover it wasn't at all what they had been  
expecting.  
  
  
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1-2 "Meet Ms.Lockheart"  
  
"You want us to do what?!" the young pokemon trainer, Ash Ketchum, stated blankly. Misty, Ash, and Prof.Oak had been discussing the reason for the Prof. urgent message they had received.  
  
"I know it's a lot to ask from you, especially when you are right in the  
middle of your pokemon training, but I need your help, Ash. I have no one  
else I can trust to do this," the Prof. replied. "I received a message from the  
Pokemon Preservation Board on Saturday. They said they needed my  
assistance to help save hundreds of pokemon located on an island down  
south. They said a new type of pokemon disease had recently been  
discovered and unless something was done about it soon, there would be a  
good chance it could spread to other pokemon outside of the island. It has  
become a very big problem and they need me there to help find a cure. I will  
need to be there for at least six months, if not longer, but the problem is that I  
would need someone here to run the lab while I'm away. That's where the  
two of you come in. I need the two of you to stay here and run the lab while  
I'm gone."  
  
Ash looked down at Pikachu who was resting on the rug near him. He  
knew helping the Prof. would be the right thing to do, but that would mean  
he would have to put his pokemon training on hold and be behind his  
competition. "What about Gary? Haven't you asked him yet?"  
  
"I was planning to, but I haven't been able to get a hold of him yet. I  
would rather you be the one in charge instead of Gary anyway. He may be  
my grandson, but he just wouldn't be able to give the pokemon the care and  
love that you would."  
  
Ash had to agree with that. Prof.Oak's grandson cared more about  
how powerful and strong a pokemon was than about the pokemon itself. He  
couldn't let Gary take over the place.   
  
"But why, Prof., did you ask me to come too?" Misty questioned.  
  
"Because, even though Ash is a talented trainer, he isn't exactly the  
most responsible trainer. I need someone who knows him fairly well to help  
him out and guide him."  
  
"No way! You've got to be crazy to think that I'm gonna spend six  
months here, running the lab, with her as my partner!" Ash yelled, angrily,  
pointing at Misty.  
  
"Well I can't believe he's even considering putting you in charge.  
You'll probably end up blowing up the place before he gets back!"  
  
"What do you know?! All you care about is getting your stupid bike back.  
You would never be able to care for any other pokemon but your own."  
  
"I know a lot more about caring for pokemon than you ever will!!"  
  
"Oh, yeah!!" Ash threatened, standing up.  
  
"Yeah!!" Misty yelled, confronting him.  
  
"Please calm down you two. How can I trust to hand over my lab to  
you if you continue to act this way? You need to learn to work together and  
get along. Hundreds of pokemon are counting on you. Please, will you do this  
for me? Can I count on you to be able to handle this?"  
  
Ash walked toward the window and looked out. "If it's a pokemon in  
need than, yes, of course I'll do it."  
  
"Count me in too. I'll make sure to keep an eye on Ash for you, Prof.,  
so there is no need to worry."  
  
Ash looked over at Misty and scowled who only grinned back.  
"Great! Then I'll introduce you to the one who will be advising you on  
how to run the place. Crystal! Will you please come in here now!" the Prof.  
yelled to the next room.   
  
A young girl, about Ash's age, strolled into the room. She was the  
most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had a short, tight tank-top and a  
short black skirt on. Her eyes were a clear aqua-green color, almost matching  
the color of her tank-top, and beautiful blonde-streaked hair which draped  
loosely over her shoulders almost reaching to the curve of her back. She had  
what looked like a medieval cross tattoo on her upper right arm and a gold  
heart-shaped locket resting on her chest. She also wore a cape-like cloth,  
draped from the bottom of the back of her top almost touching the floor  
(much like the outfit of Rinoa from FF8), giving the outfit a mystical, almost  
sexy look. Ash couldn't help but stare. He defiantly wouldn't mind spending  
six months there with her around!  
  
Misty noticed the expression on Ash's face. She turned and glared at  
the stranger, crossing her arms.  
  
"Hello! My name is Crystal Lockheart. I will be the one showing you  
what needs to be done daily and how it should be done." She turned to see  
Misty scowling at her and just smiled as if not noticing. "You must be Misty.  
It's so nice to finally meet the famous Cerulean Gym leader and water  
pokemon expert. I myself specialize in the electric type. Maybe we could  
battle sometime to test out our skills." Then she turned her gaze toward Ash.  
"And you must be the Ash Ketchum I've heard so much about. It'll be a great  
learning experience to work with such a talented pokemon trainer, I'm sure!"  
she said giving him a flirting smile. Ash blushed sheepishly. Misty began to  
turn red too, but not from blushing.  
  
"Well, now that we've all met, let's go into the kitchen and have  
something to drink while we discuss my plans for you three!" the Prof.  
suggested, oblivious to the episode being played out.  
  
As Ash got up to follow the Prof. into the kitchen, Crystal grabbed  
Ash's arm and linked it with hers. "Afterwards, you just have to show me all  
of your strong pokemon. OK, Ash!" she flirted. Ash smiled and nodded,  
blushing, "Sure."  
  
Misty looked at the couple angrily, then sadly followed the two into the  
next room.  
  
  
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1-3 "Love and War"   
  
  
Misty had never imagined she could be so fed up and angry with Ash than she was at that moment. She stormed into the main lab office and slammed the door behind her. How could he be so insensitive? So uncaring? And rude? She slumped down into the big office chair and decided to try and get some paperwork done, but no matter how much she tried her mind would always trail back to the fight she had previously been in with Ash. What had begun as a simple disagreement turned into a heated argument. She vaguely could remember what it was over this time exactly. Something about her mixing the wrong pokemon food formula. It was an honest mistake and she had apologized for it, but when Crystal came in and starting acting like she was better than her by pointing out all of her mistakes and Ash took Crystal's side, that's when she blew up at him and stormed off. Misty sighed an exasperated growl. That righteous, prissy, little slut. Misty still couldn't believe he had sided with her! He had known Misty a lot longer than he had known her. What was it about her that he liked so much that he would turn his back on one of his closest friends?  
Just then she heard a soft knock at the door and knew immediately who it was.   
"Go away, Ash, I don't want to talk to you right now!" she yelled to the person outside the door. She heard the door open and someone step inside the room. Her back was to the door and she didn't feel like turning around to see who it was. Just then she felt someone reach around her and tickle her in the sides. Surprised, she almost fell backwards off the chair but instead was caught in the stranger's arms. She looked up to see Ash grinning down at her, satisfactorily. She regained her balance, stood up, and angrily pushed him away. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Ash! You don't just sneak up on someone and surprise them like that. What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?!" she yelled at him, her voice a little shaky.   
  
"Oh, so now you are talking to me, huh?" he teased.  
"Look, Ash, I'm very busy right now, so if you're here just to make me even more angry at you..."  
"Actually, I came up here to talk to you and apologize...if that's all right." he looked at her skeptically.  
A little surprised by his sincerity, Misty sat down and looked up at him with a bored expression. "I'm listening."  
"Well," he began, "I know it was wrong for Crystal to have put you down like she did and I should have stuck up for you. I know you may think I sided with her but I didn't. I just didn't say anything when you two were fighting cause I didn't want to get in the middle of it. She was being to hard on you, though, and I'm sorry I didn't break it up, ok?"  
"What about Crystal? Is she even sorry for what she said?" Misty questioned.  
"Crystal told me half of what she said she did because she felt it was part of her responsibility, and the other half she was just joking around and teasing you. She said she didn't mean to upset you, though."  
"Oh right! Isn't that the understatement of the year!"  
"Look, I've been under a lot of stress lately trying to run this place these past two weeks since Prof. Oak left, and the two of you constantly fighting over who is better than the other doesn't help me out either."  
"Well, that works both ways. She has to start acting her age and stop being such a know-it-all, too. I'm not gonna take any more of her pokemon expert bull..."  
"She has been working here longer than we have and she knows what she's doing. She's just trying to help us run this lab as a team."  
"No, she tries to take credit for the hard work I do and make me look like a total ass for every mistake I make. She's just a big mooch, Ash!"  
"I'm not going to argue with you anymore! I'm tired of fighting with you. The last time we fought like this was over a year ago. I know you have your differences with Crystal. I'm not asking you to like her, just please try to be civil and get along for the sake of all the pokemon here!"  
Misty thought about what he said and realized he was right. She was acting like she was 12 again picking fights all the time. She was more mature now and she need to start acting like it. She stood up and looked Ash in the face. "You're right, Ash. I've been acting like a child lately and I'm sorry. I promise to try and get along with Crystal."  
Ash smiled and gave a sigh of relief. "Great! Than you accept my apology?"  
"Yeah, your forgiven."  
"We're cool now?"  
"Yeah."  
"Who was the one that was right?"  
Misty gave him a halfhearted smile. "Don't push it!"  
Ash just smiled and gave her a playful little hug, "Thanks Mist."  
Oh, isn't that sweet," Crystal mocked from the doorway. "I knew you two would kiss and make up."  
At the sudden mention of any connection between the two, Ash and Misty pushed each other away with looks of disgust on their faces.   
"Yeah right!"  
"No way!"  
"Well, whatever, I'm just here to remind Ash that it's time for that Ponyta ride you promised me," she said with a flirting smile.  
"Oh, right, the Ponyta ride," Ash blushed a little, "We'll be back in a little while, Misty." Misty stared after the two as they walked into the hallway closing the door behind them. Misty growled, picked up a stack of papers, and flung them at the door, scattering them everywhere.  
Later that night, all three teenagers decided to head over to the Ketchum house for dinner. After conversing over the days events with Ash's mom followed by another small argument between Ash and Misty, they decide to call it a night. Crystal heads back to the lab to sleep where her room has been for the last few months, and Ash and Misty head upstairs to their separate rooms. Mrs. Ketchum smiles as she watches her son and Misty bickering as usual over who will get the bathroom first in the morning, realizing how much they really do truly care for each other. 'They really do make a cute couple.' she thinks to herself as she finishes up in the kitchen.  
  
  
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Well, that's the end of the first chapter. Now on to chapter 2. Any questions/comments/critisisms/ ideas/ whatever, send them to Misty411PP@aol.com. I always love hearing what other people think of my stories! Or you can always visit my cool site where you can not only read my fanfics, but tons more by other authors! Check it out at http://misty411.homepage.com/home.html!!   
  



	2. Chapter 2

2-1 A New Day  
  
  
  
As the morning sun pierces through the grey clouds of the night's rain, a colorful rainbow scans across the sky illuminating the small town of Pallet below. A young red head is resting in her bed gazing out the window at the beautiful sunrise. "How romantic..." Misty says to herself, dreamily. She looks across the street and notices an open field of flowers, secluded in a small valley sorrounded by trees. 'What a peaceful place that must be,' she thinks to herself, smiling. 'Someday...I'll take the one I love to that very spot. There we can hold each other in our arms and watch the sunrise, with the sweet aroma of the morning dew and wild flowers around us. It'll be like heaven on earth.' She looks down and sighs, 'Someday...'  
  
She lazily slips out of bed and into her robe, than slowly walks down the stairs into the kitchen to find some breakfast. Ash is already up and in the shower getting ready. Misty decides to get something to eat, than jump in the shower when Ash gets done. She notices a note on the table from Mrs. Ketchum.  
  
  
Dear Ash and Misty,  
I need to go to a new clients house today to check out their house (Mrs. Ketchum is a realtor) and I won't be home till late tonight. I left some money on the table for pizza if you want to order out tonight. Have a great day!  
  
Love,  
Mom  
  
  
Misty smiled at the last part. Mrs. Ketchum was like a second mother to her. She enjoyed having a woman around to talk to since she had been traveling with nothing but boys for the past few years. She noticed something else scribbled at the bottom.  
  
P.S. I saw in today's paper there is going to be a community festival next week with games, music, food, and a couples dance at the end of the night. Perhaps you two would like to go!  
  
  
Misty ignored the obvious hint at the end. It sounded like a lot of fun, but she didn't know of anyone she could ask to the dance. She hadn't met any boys she was interested in that lived in Pallet, and she definantly wasn't going to ask Ash. Misty scowled, 'He probably already asked Crystal to go anyway!'   
  
Ash had just gotten out of the shower and came bounding into the kitchen, looking for something to eat too. Misty glanced over at him from the table. His hair was still wet and dripping, and he was shirtless with only a pair of jeans on. His chest and stomach were still damp and glistened in the sunlight. Misty felt a bit flushed looking at him, 'I never knew Ash could look so damn sexy when he wasn't wearing that stupid jacket all the time!' She quickly turned away and blinked away the very unlady-like thoughts she was having. 'What am I doing!! This is Ash I'm getting all hot over. The same dense, stubborn little kid who destroyed my bike!' Deciding she'd be safer if she left to take a cold shower now, she turned toward the door. "My turn for the bathroom. There's a note on the table from your mom. She won't be home till late tonight." She quickly said, than she was gone.  
  
Ash looked at the note and saw the message at the bottom. 'Hmmm. A dance. I wonder if Misty'll wanna go!' He frowned, 'Who am I kidding. Misty would never wanna go to some stupid dance with me. I guess I could always take Crystal.' Just than he heard the doorbell ring.  
"I'll get it!" he heard Misty yell half-way up the stairs. She went to the door half expecting it to be Crystal, like usual, or maybe Mrs. Ketchum had forgotten something. She opened the door to see a boy, and a very handsome boy at that. "Hi!" the stranger smiled softly at her.   
  
He was about 5'4", a little taller than her, and probably a year or two older. He was muscular but not too buff, and was wearing a white button-up collared shirt over a white wife-beater and jeans. He had brown spikey hair with frosted tips and was wearing a silver chain necklace around his neck and a hoop earring in his right ear. His most striking feature was his clear, blue eyes which seemed to be able see right through you. "Hi! Can I help you?" Misty smiled back.   
  
"Well, I'm sure you could." he grinned at her as he looked her over. She just remembered that she was still in her pajamas and robe and probably looked like a mess. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just got up. I must look terrible'" she blushed. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, it's my fault. I should have called first before I stopped by," he apologized. " If I had known such a beautiful lady lived here, though, I would have stopped by much sooner than today."   
  
Misty blushed even more. "Oh, that's very nice of you to say but..." she was interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind her. She turned to see Ash looking at the two with a very displeased look. He must have heard the whole conversation.   
  
"I'm Ash Ketchum and I'm the one that lives here. Is there something I can do for you?" he asked slightly annoyed.  
  
Actually, I just stopped by to say hi. I'm new to the neighborhood. I just moved here a few days ago in that house right there," he said pointing to the big blue house to the right of the Ketchum home. "I thought I'd stop by and get to know my new neighbors. My names Chad, Chad Dawson," he said as he shook Ash's hand. Then he took Misty's hand and kissed the back of it gently, "And you are?"  
  
Misty giggled and blushed, "Oh, my names Misty. I'm just a... friend of Ash's. I'm only staying here for a while, than I'll probably go back to my home in Cerulean City."  
  
"Cerulean City! I knew you looked familiar. Your Misty, the fourth sensational sister at the Cerulean gym, am I right?"  
  
"Yes that's right! How'd you know?"  
  
"I went to one of the water shows there. I saw you in the one where you played the mermaid in that big tank. I thought you were the most beautiful mermaid I'd ever seen, so I asked someone nearby who you were, and they told me your name was Misty and you were one of the gym leaders there. After that, I couldn't take my eyes off of you! You were great!" Chad explained, smiling. "I can't believe I'm actually talking to you. This is great!"  
  
Misty giggled,'Not only was this guy a gentleman and fine as hell, but he also liked her too, A LOT!' "Well, thankyou! I'm glad you liked the show." She noticed the expression on Ash's face. He was definantly not too happy with where the conversation was going so she decided to end it before Ash met his fist with the poor guys face! "Well, I need to go take a shower now. It was nice meeting you Chad."  
  
"You too. It was very nice to be able to meet you, Misty!"  
  
She smiled, then turned and walked up the stairs. As soon as the two boys heard the bathroom door close, Chad spoke up first, "So, Ash, may I come in? Or isn't this a good time?"he ginned, mocking Ash's obvious jelousy. Ash was about to tell the guy what he thought about him, when he heard someone gasp from behind them. They both turned to see Crystal walking up the drivway with a look on her face like she had just seen a ghost. Ash noticed she was staring at Chad and he had an even more astonished look on his face. "It can't be...Chad?!!" she barely choked out.  
  
"Crystal?!!"  
  
  
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2-2 Crystal's Past  
  
  
  
  
"Chad!?" Crystal said again, a little less choked up but still very much surprised. "What...what are you doing here?" She walked up to the door, staring at him as if he were about to bolt away at any second.   
"Well, well, well...," Chad halfheartedly smiled, "I wouldn't have expected to run into you in a place like this! Whatever happened to the girl who wasn't going to end up in some small-town 'loserville'? The girl who was going to make something outta herself? Be somebody?" he sneered, his voice touched with a hint of pain, but his face remained emotionless.   
Crystal immediately turned her face away and looked toward the ground. "You didn't answer my question," she looked back up at him with a stern look on her face. "What are you doing here?"  
Chad's eyes darkened a bit, but he continued to smile at her. "My parents and I just moved here a few days ago. I guess they decided to take a break from the 'ranching' life, so we decided to move here. Ash, here, is my new neighbor," he smiled, giving a confused Ash a pat on the back. "Now it's your turn. Why are you here?"  
"Well, I've been living in this town for a few months now. I'm working as an assistant at Prof. Oak's pokemon laboratory. Ash and his friend, Misty, have been helping out at the lab these past couple of weeks since the Prof. left on business."  
Ash, who had been standing there, listening to their conversation, finally decided to speak up. "Wait a minute...How do you two know each other?!"  
"It's a long story," Crystal began. "Let's just say we were old childhood friends. We used to work and play at the same pokemon ranch together. Both of our parents worked there, so that's how we eventually met and almost immediately we became the best of friends."  
  
*******************  
(FLASHBACK)  
  
"Crystal, hunny! Would come out here please!"  
"Coming, mother!" Crystal yelled from inside the barn. As she stepped outside into the sunshine, she looked across the yard toward where her mom stood talking with two other adults and two young boys. Both boys were older than she. The eldest was probably around the age of 13 or 14. He had dark spiky hair and wore baggy, dark clothing. Her instincts told her by the look on his face that he couldn't be trusted. The youngest boy was more around her age, probably about 11 or 12. He immediately caught her attention, though. He was wearing baggy blue jeans and a cute, little, white tank-top. He had spiky, dark hair too, but the tips were frosted a light blonde color. His face was kind and gentle and, somehow, she new this person would play a special part in her life...  
  
  
(END FLASHBACK)  
*********************  
  
  
"...So after that, 'Her Majesty' here left the ranch in hopes of leading a better life. Isn't that right?"  
Crystal looked up at Chad and noticed he had been talking about her during her little daydream. She realized he had just asked for a response from her. "Uuh...What was the question again?"  
Chad frowned, "Weren't you listening to a thing I was saying?"  
"Um, no. I kinda zoned out," she said sweatdropping.  
"Well, I can see you haven't changed one bit these past few years," Chad sighed, "Just as ditzy as ever."  
"Oh, excuse me Mr. Perfect! I forgot how you NEVER made any mistakes. Please, forgive me!" She said quaintly with a small bow.  
"Yep, still the same rude, selfish, spoiled, little brat that I remembered!" he spat back in her face.  
"Watch it asshole!" she growled back.  
"Hey! Knock it off you two!" Ash angrily intervened. "Now I don't know what's happened between the two of you or why you two are at each others throats all of a sudden. What I do know is that the pokemon at the lab are counting on us being there in half an hour. So, if you two would mind shutting up for a second, I'd like to get going, ok?!"  
Chad and Crystal stared at Ash, stunned by his sudden outburst. "Fine! I'll meet you and Misty at the lab, Ash." Crystal gave him a snide look. Then she turned and began walking toward the lab again. Chad followed her with his eyes, then looked back at Ash who was giving him a "Now what do you want?" look.   
"Well, I guess I'll be going too then. See ya later, Ash. Give Misty a kiss for me will ya?" he winked at him as he jogged across the lawn toward his house. Ash slowly closed the door and took in a deep breath. 'Those two were definantly going to be a handful.' He turned and saw Misty walking toward him.   
"What was that all about?"  
"Uh, nothing, " he lied, hoping she hadn't heard Chad's last statement before he left. By the look on her face, he knew she hadn't. Whew!  
"What do you mean nothing!? I heard two people yelling all the way upstairs. It didn't sound like nothing."  
"Look, we don't have time for me to explain it all right now. We have to be at the lab soon. Go get ready and I'll tell you what happened on the way there, ok?"  
"Ok, all right! Sheesh!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air as she went back up the stairs. Ash followed her with his eyes, then glanced out the window. 'There's something more behind Crystal and Chad's relationship that they're not telling me.' he ponders to himself. 'Oh, well. It's none of my business and I really don't care. Whatever it was between them is long gone now!' he decides as he too wanders back upstairs to get ready. But in reality, he couldn't have been any further from the truth!...  
  
  
  
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2-3 Chad vs. Crystal  
  
  
  
"Ring, ring, ring! Phone call, phone call!" Ash heard the computer telephone blare out as he went to answer it. It had been two days now since the little episode between Crystal and Chad had been played out. Ash hadn't talked much with Chad since, but he knew Misty had visited with him a few times over the phone. He figured it was probably him calling on the other line right now. "Hello?"  
"Hey, Ash! It's Chad. Is Misty home?"  
Boy did he call that one! "Yeah she is. Hold on." He walked upstairs to her bedroom. "Telephone, Misty...It's your boyfriend...," he teased.   
Misty smiled and picked up the phone in her room. "Hi Chad! What's up?"  
Ash stood in the doorway and scowled. 'She had known the kid for, what, 2 days, and she acted like they were best buds...or maybe even more!' He shuddered at the thought.  
Misty glanced over at Ash standing in the doorway, obviously wanting him to leave her with some privacy. "Oh, excuse me. So sorry to interupt!" he bowed to her jokingly. She smirked and waved him away with her hand, shutting the door in his face. He sighed, frowning, then went back downstairs to hang up the phone. Twenty minutes later, Misty came downstairs to see Ash watching a TV show on pokemon training. "So what did Chad have to say," he said in an uncaring voice.   
"Well...he asked how I was doing and how things at the lab were going..." she said as she sat down next to him on the couch. "And...he also asked me if I...would go to the dance with him," she said as she began fiddeling with her fingernails.  
"That's nice," he said, trying to make it sound like he really didn't care as much as he did. "So, what did you say?"  
"Well, I told him I'd think about it."  
"Hm...well if you do decide to go, I hope you have a great time!" he said, denying the hurt he was beginning to feel inside of him.  
"What about you?" she asked. "Aren't you going?"  
Ash turned to look into her eyes. They were harboring some indistinct feeling. One he couldn't quite make out. "Um, I don't know. I was thinking of asking Crystal to go," he said as he turned his attention back to the TV.  
"Oh," she said looking down at Pikachu and Togepi eating their poke-food. "Well, if you ask her and end up going, maybe we could all go together in a group. Kinda like a double-date. If they can manage to get along all night that is," she said smiling at him.  
"Yeah, maybe," he said smiling back. Their eyes met. They remained that way, staring into each other's eyes, for only a few seconds, but to them it seemed like hours. Pikachu and Togepi stopped eating and looked up at their masters, then at each other. Misty blinked and turned away. "Well, I'm gonna go get ready for bed. Goodnight Ash," she said as she got up.  
"Ok, goodnight," he answered as he focused his attention back to the TV. Misty turned and slowly went back up the stairs.  
The next day, as Ash, Misty, and Crystal were finishing up at the lab, Chad decided to visit them and see Misty. "Hi, Chad! What a surprise!" Misty said beamed when she noticed him walking toward them. Ash and Crystal turned to see him and scowled at his presence.  
"Hey Misty! How is the lovely lady doing today?"  
"Oh, I'm doing just fine!" she giggled. "We just got done with our chores and were just finishing up."  
"I bet it's a lot of fun working here, taking care of all the pokemon."  
"Yeah, I'm having a wonderful time, plus it's a good learning experience. Why don't you come by and help out?"  
"Misty, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Ash said skeptically.  
"We have enough help now. We really don't need him." Crystal said, crossing her arms.  
"Hey, we can never have too much help! With his experience and knowledge about pokemon, I bet he'll make a great addition to the team," Misty said.  
"That's not a bad idea, Misty. I wouldn't mind stopping in to help everyonce in a while. It'll give me something to do, plus I'll be able to see you too!" Misty began to blush.  
"Oh, please!" Ash rolled his eyes.  
"I don't think so. I'm sorry, but no thankyou. We don't need your help!" Crystal said as she began to leave.  
"Oh, come on, Crystal. What's the matter? Afraid I'll see you mess up something?!  
"Me, mess up? Yeah right! I'd be more afraid of you messing up and me being the one who has to fix it!" she turned and walked up to him. ust like old times, right?"  
"Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!" Ash yelled trying to break up the little quarrel. "Now, before you two get into yet another fight, I do recall you both agreeing to try and get along with each other, right?"  
"Both Chad and Crystal turned away from each other, crossing their arms angrily.  
"Hey! I know how we can settle this!" Misty grinned as you could almost see a lightbulb light up above her head. "How about a pokemon battle. Chad vs. Crystal! If Chad wins, he gets to join us and work at the lab. If Crystal wins, then she gets her way."  
They both look at one another blankly.  
"Sounds good to me! Get ready to lose!" Chad grins at his opponent.  
Crystal stares at him for a second, then grins back, "You're on!"  
  
  
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Ok, finally got done with this chapter. I hope you liked it! Who do you think should win the battle between Chad and Crystal? Please respond! Or you can e-mail me with any comments or questions as always at Misty411pp@aol.com. C ya!  



	3. Chapter 3

3-1 May the Best Trainer Win  
  
  
"This'll be the easiest battle I've ever won!" Chad confided in himself.   
"We'll just see about that," Crystal said, brushing him off. "Rules are the same as the official Pokemon League rules. No time limit and 3 pokemon each."  
"Sounds good to me. Let's battle already! Arcanine, go!" Chad threw one of his pokeballs out toward the open field outside the pokemon lab. The legendary fire-canine pokemon appeared ready and willing to win.   
"In that case I choose you Electabuzz!" Crystal yelled as the form of the fighting electric pokemon took it's stance. "Start off with a thunderbolt."  
"Show 'em your power with a flamethrower attack." Both pokemon shot a stream of energy toward each other which collided and created a small explosion. "Now use your ember attack." Arcanine opened it's mouth and released a large combustion of fire toward it's opponent. Electabuzz tried to dive out of the way but it moved to late and it's fur was singed badly. It stood up a bit weak but still willing to battle.   
"Yeah!" Crystal cheered for her pokemon's strong recovery. "Keep it up! Use your Flash and disable it for awhile." Electabuzz quickly created a strong flash of lightning and blinded Arcanine temporarily. It howled in surprise and shook it's head side to side. "Power up your energy and finish it off with a thunder punch and thunder combo!" Electabuzz charged up all the electrical energy coursing through it's body into it's fist and let it out with a powerful upper cut to the fire pokemon's stomach, while delivering a powerful thunder attack before it was sent flying toward the ground.   
"Arcanine!" Chad cried out. But his cries were to no prevail as his pokemon lay dazed in the grass. He recalled his pokemon quickly, showing no signs of his disappointment. "Ok Flareon, you're up!"   
"In that case..." Crystal grinned as she too recalled her weakened pokemon. "I call out my evolution pokemon, Jolteon." She smiled at the rememberence of past battles between the two pokemon, and also the two favorite pokemon of their trainers.  
As if reading her mind, Chad mirrored her expression and smiled. "This brings back memories. I can still remember the day we found the two eevee babies in the woods outside the ranch. We battled them that day and I lost badly. I still laugh at our innocence back then. You remember don't you Cris?"  
Crystal flinched at the sudden reminder of the old nickname she had been given by her old best friend. She fought back tears of regret and sneered angrily, "Which is what will happen again!"  
Chad, stunned at the coldness in her eyes, stared for a moment, then growled back. "You obviously haven't learned much since!" He turned and gave orders to his best pokemon. "Flareon, let's show 'em what ya got. Use your quick attack and knock her into the next world." Flareon sprinted across the field, picking up speed with every second until it slammed into it's opponent. Flareon yelped as the sharp pricks of Jolteon's fur pierced its skin. Jolteon hadn't gone without a scratch, though, as it flew past it's trainer right into a rock. It stood on wobbily legs and glared at the other pokemon. It's glare turned into a frown as it noticed it's long time brother in pain. It scampered over to it's sibling concerned. "Jolteon, what are you doing?!" Crystal yelled in surprise. "Stop that! Get away from him!" Her pokemon continued to check on it's brother against her orders. Crystal sighed deeply.   
Misty and Ash had been watching from the sidelines. Seeing this action from the pokemon, she snickered. "Looks as if the pokemon's feelings toward each other haven't changed, even though their trainer's have." Ash just stared in a mixture of shock and amusement.  
After a few minutes, when Jolteon was sure Flareon was ok, they went back to their sides ready to do battle again. "Since battling these two would probably take all day, I say we both return them and use different ones." Chad suggested. "Oh, alright!" Crystal growled. They both returned their pokemon calling out their last two.   
"Go Charizard!"  
"Go Sudowoodo!"  
As their pokemon took form, Chad looked at Crystal's pokemon in confusion. 'It's a tree! It looks like a tree pokemon! She must take me for a fool to send out a plant pokemon against my fire pokemon. It's insulting!' Chad thought to himself.  
"Hey, it's a Sudowoodo!" Ash beamed as he pulled out his pokedex.  
"Sudowoodo. The imitation pokemon. It disguises it's self as a tree to avoid attack. It hates water, so it will disappear if it starts raining."  
"Huh, that's strange. Why would a plant pokemon hate water?"  
Crystal had a glint in her eye as she grinned slyly. "Things aren't always what they appear..."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chad said.  
"You'll see."  
Whatever...," he said waving her off. 'This outta be easy!' he thought. "Ok, start off with a firepunch Charizard!" The lizard pokemon roared and threw a flaming punch at the odd tree-looking pokemon. As it's fist met with the pokemon's body, time stood still as Charizard stood there for a moment, then it's eyes bulged out as it started hopping around in pain, holding its paw. "What the..." Chad murmured. Crystal giggled slightly. "Ok, now try a flamethrower!" Charizard angrily sent a ray of sweltering flames toward the pokemon. Chad was surprised to see it not try to dodge it or move at all. After the flame had hit, the tree pokemon stood there untouched and burn free. "HUH!!!" Chad gasped with his mouth hung open. Crystal couldn't take anymore and she bagan to laugh hysterically. Chad was not amused. "What's so funny!?"  
"Did I forget to mention that Sudowoodo is not a plant pokemon?"  
"What?!"  
"Nope. It's a rock type." Crystal laughed pointing to her pokemon.   
"Sudo sudowoodo do," her pokemon said smiling.  
"WAAAA..." both Ash and Chad say at the same time, falling over.  
  
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3-2 A New Stranger  
  
  
Chad glared at his opponent, "That's a cheap trick!"  
"Hey, I may specialize in electric type pokemon, but that doesn't mean I can't own pokemon of other types too. Any smart pokemon trainer would know that it's better to have more than one type."  
"No! You knew this whole time that I thought that thing was a plant type and you deliberatly played me for a fool."  
"Nowhere in the rules does it state that an opponent can not mislead another. It's all apart of the game. Now stop whining and prove me wrong...if you can." Crystal grinned. "Maybe this will teach you a lesson not to underestimate your opponent. Alright Sudowoodo! Low kick now!"   
"Sudo!" The tree-like imitation pokemon leaped at the charizard, giving it a hard low blow to its legs. The charizard fell over in pain from the impact of the pokemon's rock-hard exterior. Chad growled. What kind of move could his charizard use against a rock type? He had to think of something quick...  
"Now rockthrow!" Sudowoodo picked up a giant boulder nearby and was about to toss it at the fire pokemon with all it's might when Chad had an idea.   
"Quick, Charizard, Fly away!" Charizard dodged the giant rock soaring toward just in time. It flew into the sky out of reach of it's enemy. Chad grinned. There was no way it could reach his pokemon up there and that gave him time to think of a strategy.  
Crystal gave a small laugh and also grinned. "Mimic now!"  
Chad looked toward her in shock, "No..." Sudowoodo levitated off the ground as if some unknown force had uplifted it. "What? That's not possible! Rock types can't fly!"  
"Not usually but mine is special. Since it is an imitation pokemon, it knows similar moves as, say, a ditto. Like 'Mimic' for example, which allows them to learn a move temporarily from another pokemon. So in this case...Fly..." She said as her pokemon flew up towards the flying lizard. "Quick attack and seismic toss!" Sudowoodo soared toward the lizard and slammed into it at an amazing speed for such a heavy pokemon. It then grabbed the charizard with it's branch-like arms and nailed it into the ground like a nail in wood.   
"Charizard! No!" The fire pokemon lay weakened and dazed on the ground. The battle was over. Chad ran over to his pokemon's side to make sure it wasn't hurt too bad. "You did great charizard", he said as he recalled his prized pokemon. Then he strolled over to Crystal with his hands shoved in his pocket and an angry expression, but then he reached out and shook her hand. "Good strategy. You did great," he said with a small smile. Crystal just smiled happily and shook his hand back. "Like-wise."  
Clap clap clap clap  
The group turned toward the sound of someone clapping on the other side of the field. A figured stepped out of the shadows of the forest nearby. "Well done sugar," came the low voice of an older boy, probably about 18 years old. As soon as he was in clear view, a look of terror, shock, and anger spread across Crystal's face. The boy had dark spiky, hair and wore dark, baggy clothing...   
  
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HA! Another infamous cliffhanger! I know it's been a while since I last added to this. 6 months to be exact...but who's counting, huh?! Anyway, I made this chapter only 2 sections long because I thought this would be a good spot to stop and also cuz it's late and I'm tired and I want sleep...(Yawn). Expect the next chapter or part up soon (hopefully). Bye bye...(snore) -_-zzz  



	4. Chapter 4

  
  
  
  
  
4-1 Terrible Reminisces  
  
  
The group turned to see a boy walking toward them with a big grin on his face. Chad frowned, "God Alex! I told you not to follow me here!"  
"Hey dork. Nice to see you too. I wanted to see this great pokemon lab you were talking about. Nice." he said as he gazed around at the giant building down the hill a ways and the pastures and fields surrounding them. "I also wanted to reunite with an old friend and say hi." he stated as his gaze turned toward Crystal. "Congratulations, sugar, on a great battle. You looked great out there, as always," he winked at her. She turned away, seemingly upset by his gesture.  
"Ash. Misty. This is my brother, Alex." Chad introduced his sibling to them in a monotone voice.  
"Older and better looking brother you mean." Alex scoffed as he shook Ash's hand. He stopped at Misty and kissed her hand. "What a beautiful name. Misty."  
"Charm must run in the family," Misty smiled and blushed. Crystal tried to stifle a laugh.  
"Well," Ash began, "Now that the match is over and we have a winner, this means that Chad won't be helping out at the lab right?"  
"Yeah..."Chad frowned. "I know...I'll let you guys get back to your work. I have to go to the pokemon center anyway and heal my pokemon."  
"Oh there's no need for that. You can heal them here at the lab." Misty suggested.   
Chad turned toward Crystal and sighed. "No, that's ok. I can walk there from here. It won't take that long."  
Crystal looked down and then back up at Chad, "Misty is right. There's no point in going there when you can do it here. Follow me and we'll heal them up for you." She said as she began walking back toward the lab.   
Chad looked at her with surprise. "Well, what about you Alex? Are you coming or are you gonna head home?" Chad asked.  
"I guess I'll head home. I'm getting tired." He said yawning and stretching. "Nice meeting you all." He waved to the group as he turned to leave, "I'll be seeing you later, Crystal." He grinned at her before he left. She just stared after him with cold eyes, and then turned again to go back to the lab. Ash had noticed the silent battle between the two and looked on curiously.  
Once at the lab, Misty decided to show Chad where the Pokemon Care room was and heal his pokemon. Ash and Crystal went on to continue the chores they were doing. He decided this was as good a time as any to get some information from her. "So how well do you know that Alex guy? Is he an old friend of yours too?"   
She just blinked and turned away. "No. I just worked with him too on the ranch." She said as she finished checking off the pokemon that they just got done feeding.   
"He seems like a nice guy."  
"Hmm." She grunted.  
"Ya know...I think he also has the hots for Misty. I'd sure like to see a fight between those two brothers. I'd enjoy seeing him cream Chad. Wouldn't you?" He laughed.   
Crystal paused what she was doing and growled, "Alex better not touch her. Keep him away from her, Ash. For Misty's sake..."  
This both scared and bewildered Ash. What was that supposed to mean? "Why? Is he a real heartbreaker or something?" He asked.  
Crystal just gave him a sad look and said, "I wish that was the worse case scenario, Ash. I really do..." Then she quickly gathered up the papers and left without another word.  
  
  
  
  
  
4-2 Unwanted Changes  
  
  
Misty decided to take a short ponyta ride around the fields and forests surrounding the lab. It was a beautiful day and the wild flowers and grass all around her gave off a fresh summer smell. She walked along the narrow path, gazing at the wildlife around her. The flowers were in full bloom, the sky was clear, and the sun was bright and warm. It was a perfect day to just get outside and relax for a while. Ash and Crystal were left behind to work at the lab while she took a small break. Crystal, as usual, whined about how there was too much to be done and how Misty just could not take a break. But she left anyway. She felt she deserved one and she also needed some time to think. She used the excuse that she was going to give the ponyta some exercise to get out of there.   
She rode the horse-pokemon over towards a big maple tree and dismounted. She sat down next to it and sighed in a breath of air. Taking care of all the pokemon at the lab was a lot of work and she couldn't understand how Prof. Oak could handle it all by himself. But she did enjoy it and felt it was all worth it. Having the opportunity to care for so many different pokemon was enjoyable and she wished she'd never have to leave. "I wish I could stay here in Pallet...," she said to no one in particular. As soon as she realized what she had said, she chuckled. 'You mean stay in Pallet with Ash...,' She mentally told herself. She shook her head and frowned. 'Like that would ever happen! Stop thinking crazy thoughts, Misty!' She sighed a deep sigh and started to get up to leave when she heard the sound of footsteps coming her way. Hoof steps to be exact. The sound of another ponyta was coming toward her. She turned around and saw Ash riding toward her with a small smile on his face.   
"Howdy ma'am?" He said in a southern accent as he pretended to tip some invisible cowboy hat. Misty's heart flopped at the cuteness in the gesture. She smiled and walked toward him as he dismounted.   
"I decided to get out and enjoy the weather for a while."  
"I can see that."  
"So what are you doing out here? I'm sure Crystal going crazy running the lab right now alone." She giggled.  
"Nah, she can handle it for a while." They walked a little ways up a hill in the middle of a wide-open prairie. "I wanted to get out for a while too and see what you were up to and if you were ok," he told her. His concern for her touched her and she looked down and smiled. When she looked up again she noticed a house somewhat in the distance.   
"Hey wait a sec. Isn't that your house?" she realized in surprise.   
Ash looked in the direction that she was and nodded. "Yeah. Our house has a great view of this field." He said. Misty suddenly realized this was the exact same field that she would gaze out her bedroom window at and daydream about. And now she was here was someone. Ash. This made her very uncomfortable.   
"Um, I'm getting kinda tired. I think I'm gonna head back now." She said as she turned around away from him and started back toward the lab. Ash frowned. He had come out here because he wanted to spend some time with Misty and talk since they hadn't had much of a chance lately.  
"Tired? Why are you tired? Don't you feel well?" He asked.  
"No. I'm fine. Just a little hot and tired."  
Ash stopped in front of her, blocking her path. He placed his hand on her forehead and then moved it down to her cheek. She closed her eyes and shuddered, but not enough for him to notice. When she opened them again he was staring straight into her eyes with a caring, almost loving expression. Her breath caught as he moved closer to her.   
"You're not warm, but your face is a little flushed." He concluded without taking his gaze off of hers. "Do you feel faint at all?"   
"A little," she said honestly. Her heart was racing. She had to stop this before she...or they...did something they would regret. "No. I'm fine. Really. I just need to get back inside the air-conditioned lab and cool off." She said as she turned away. Ash sighed.  
"If you say so..." He said as he too followed her back toward their ponytas' and the lab. All of a sudden Misty tripped over a small rock and fell to the ground. Ash, thinking she had fainted, came running to her side. "Misty are you ok?" She sat up and laughed at herself. 'How embarrassing...' she thought to herself. She looked up at Ash and saw him laughing too. "Hey it's not funny!" She giggled as she shoved his shoulder.   
"Well I thought it was down-right funny, darlin'." He said in his southern accent, which only made Misty laugh harder. He grinned down at Misty and both stopped laughing as they stared in each other's eyes. Ash bent down a little until they were only inches apart, their breathing heavy. "Ya know something, Misty? Your eyes shine the same color as the sea when they're in the sunlight. I never noticed that before..." He whispered huskily as he finally closed the distance between them. Lips met upon lips as they shared their first kiss. Misty gasped a little from surprise but quickly overcame the feeling and returned the kiss. Ash placed one hand in her hair and the other on her face as he slowly began caressing it. Misty wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer as the kiss deepened.   
Just as soon as it had begun, it ended as Ash pulled away and got up quickly. He turned away from her and then turned back. "I'm sorry, Misty, I can't do this." He said with an apologetic look before he turned to leave. Misty just sat there and stared after him as a single tear rolled down her cheek. As soon as he was out of sight, she lied down in the long grass and cried.  
  
  
  
  
4-3 Feelings For You  
  
'There was no excuse for it. You don't accidentally kiss someone. Not like that...' Ash thought to himself when he arrived back at the lab. 'And there was no excuse for what I did...to her.' He mentally kicked himself. 'Damnit! What's wrong with me? She just looked so sweet and ...and...' He couldn't finish his thoughts. He wouldn't let himself. 'This is stupid. Why would she go for me when she has two other guys that she likes who are after her? I'm nobody special. She probably was disgusted by that kiss. And what do I do? I just leave her there with no explanation or anything! What kind of a friend does that? I am such a dumbass! I don't deserve her...' He thought to himself painfully. He sighed and walked the ponyta toward the stables. He knew this was going to be a long day.  
'What's wrong with me? Why did he turn away? Does he think I'm not good enough for him? Too scrawny an ugly to deserve him?' Misty pondered to herself a few minutes after Ash had left her. She could still taste his lips on hers. The more she thought about the kiss, the more she yearned to have him in her arms. Another sudden realization came to her mind and she curled up in a ball with a dazed look in her eyes. "Why must love be so painful...?" She closed her eyes and looked up at the setting sun. "Why can't I be where you are?"...  
  
  
  
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Yeah I know that last part was kinda...um...short, but I wanted to end it there. It's such a touching part...isn't it? ::sniff sniff:: Anyway PLEASE R/R. I love hearing what others think of my stories. And I know it's been a while since I last updated but that's because of school. Now that it's summer I'll have more time to work on it and maybe finally finish it. YEAH! So expect the next chapter up in a bout a week or so. Oh and I also don't have a site anymore per-say. It was...um...shutdown. BASTARDS! ::ahem:: ^_^* So don't try to go there. Ok? Bye bye!  



	5. Chapter 5

The Key to My Heart  
By Tammy Osborne  
  
  
Late at night,  
When I should be asleep,  
Into my heart,  
You quietly creep,  
I sit and ponder,  
How it could be,  
But you must have stumbled,  
Across the key,  
I know our friendship,  
Could mean so much more,  
But it's up to you to open the door.  
  
AN: That was just a short little poem I found in a "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul" book. I thought it would fit in great with the fic so I put it on here. Anyway, on with the story!  
  
  
  
  
  
5-1 Warnings  
  
Crystal yelled goodbye to Ash and Misty as she walked out the door for a little break. It was finally dinner time and she had decided to eat outside today. She strolled around the block and headed toward the park not too far away. It was a perfect place to sit and relax and get away from the lab. She had noticed Ash and Misty had been acting particularly strange today. She couldn't understand what the deal was with the two of them. This morning they were laughing and joking around, then later that day they had both walked in and not spoken a word to each other the rest of the day. Odd to say the least.   
As she neared the park's entrance, she got this strange feeling that someone was watching her. She shivered a little and wrapped her coat tightly around her as she walked into the park. It was still sunny out but the sky was beginning to turn a pinkish-orange color and it was getting chillier out by the minute. She figured she had a good hour or so before it got dark. Plenty of time to eat and be back at the lab safe and sound. Then she heard what sounded like footsteps behind her. She stopped walking and turned to see who it was.  
"Evening sugar." Alex grinned at Crystal.  
She glared at him, "What are you doing here?"  
"Just thought I'd get out and take a short walk around the park. Sure is a nice day out huh?"  
"Yeah..." she said uneasily. Just the sight of her ex-boyfriend made her uneasy. She hadn't expected to run into him and he had taken her off guard.   
"I see you brought some food with you. Why not sit down by me on this bench and talk with me for a while. Like old times." He grinned again as he sat down.   
"Nah. Actually, I'd rather just eat alone this time and get back to the lab before they miss me." She said as she turned to leave.  
"There you go again. Leaving without a simple goodbye." He sneered. He got up and stood over her threateningly. "Why did you leave me at the ranch, huh? We had something special, but then next thing I know you disappeared without a word. Had Chad and my parents worried to death. And me. After all we did for you after the accident with your mom, and you just ran off." He growled. Crystal began backing away slowly.   
"Look I'm sorry I had you guys worried over me ok? I really am, but I have to go now. I'll see you later." She said quickly as she tried to leave, but Alex grabbed her arm and held her there. "You're hurting me! Let go!"  
"We need to talk." he growled in her face.  
"Is there a problem here?"   
Chad and Crystal turned to see Ash standing on the path with his arms folded staring angrily at Alex. He let go of Crystal's arm and smiled. "Nothing wrong. Just a small disagreement. Right sugar?" Crystal only nodded, her head hung low.   
"Well the disagreement is over. C'mon Crystal. Let's go." Ash said sternly as he motioned Crystal to follow him. She slowly walked over to Ash as she felt Alex's eyes burrowing into her back. Ash kept his eyes on Alex. "It's over. Go home Alex." He said as they walked out of the park. Alex mumbled something under his breath as soon as they were out of site. "This is far from over."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
5-2 The Dance  
  
  
As soon as Ash and Crystal had reached the lab Ash tried to get an explanation out of her, but with no such luck. She kept dodging every question and the more he asked the more uncomfortable she got. He decided now was not the time and dropped it. Ash told Misty he'd meet her at home and that he was going to walk Crystal home. When they got to her house Crystal smiled for the first time since the incident in the park and kissed him on the cheek with a thankyou. He could tell Alex had really shaken her up about something.  
At home he made sure Misty was alright by peeking into her room. She was sound asleep on the bed. He smiled as he stared at her peaceful form. God she was beautiful. He sighed and walked into his room to get ready for bed.  
The next day was the carnival and dance. Everyone was excited to see the attractions and games. Chad, Crystal, Ash, and Misty all met up and went to the carnival together. They went on rides, ate cotton candy and cheese curds, and played some of the games. Ash and Chad even managed to win prizes for their dates. Chad won a stuffed dratini for Misty and Ash won a silver pokeball for Crystal and even had her name inscribed on it. Then came the time for the dance. It was a casual one, so luckily the guys didn't need to change into suits, but the girls were required to wear some kind of dress. Both Crystal and Misty left to change and said they'd be back soon, leaving Ash and Chad alone together. The whole thing with Alex and Crystal was really beginning to bother Ash so he decided to try and talk some information out of Chad.  
"So you and Crystal used to be friends right?"   
The question shocked Chad. "Yeah that's right."  
"Were you two close?"  
"Yeah I guess you could say we were. I mean we used to be best friends."  
"So what happened?" Ash asked.  
"You mean between us?"  
Ash nodded.  
"Well, I don't know actually. We began becoming distant. We wouldn't talk as much as we used to and she always seemed to be edgy about something. Always blowing up at me for no reason. I just got fed up with it and, well, I told her our friendship was off. Next thing I knew she had left. Without a goodbye or nothing she was just gone."  
What about her mother. Did she leave her too?"  
"Oh no. Her mother died when she was13. In an accidental fire. She got stuck in a barn that caught on fire and was killed. Poor Crystal was heartbroken. So my parents decided to take her in and take care of her as if she was their own."  
Ash just sat there stunned. "Wow. I never knew. Poor Crystal."  
Chad nodded sadly.  
"So why'd she leave then?"  
Chad shrugged, "I have no idea. I figured she couldn't take the loss anymore and then with me breaking off our friendship, she just ran away." He frowned, "I was so worried. I felt like I was responsible."  
Ash stared into space as if deep in thought. Just then he looked up to see the two girls back and strolling toward them. Crystal was wearing a simple sundress with spaghetti straps and flowery imprints. It looked good on her, but what really caught his eye was Misty. She took his breath away at first glance. Her hair was down and flowed around her shoulders. She had a light blue short dress on with little frills at the bottom. It fit her curves nicely and swayed when she walked. It was a simple dress but on her, it looked amazing.   
The two boys greeted their dates and took them out on the dance floor. It was a simple little lighted lot outside surrounded by speakers playing the music. Chad and Ash had on their usual clothes except Ash had taken off his jacket and only wore his jeans and black T-shirt. After a few songs they sat down again and chatted for a while. Then the DJ came on and announced that all the couples were to mix and everyone was to have a new partner. Chad and Crystal decided to dance and Ash and Misty. The next song was an upbeat dance song and Misty had fun watching Ash try to attempt to dance to the music. She decided to show him some dance moves and soon he was an expert at it. Next came on a slow song which Ash new was one of Misty's favorites. As the song "Where You Are" began to play, the couples got in close to each other. Even Crystal and Chad began to dance close to each other, and even seemed to enjoy it a little. (AN: You may want to listen to this song now if you are able to. It will add to the story.)  
  
"There are times  
I swear I know you're here  
I forget about my fears  
Feelin you my dear"  
  
Ash smiled uncomfortably as he placed his hands on Misty's waist and she put her arms around his neck. They danced for a little while, Ash looking down at his feet every once in a while to make sure he was doing the steps right and Misty giggling at him. He grinned at her.  
  
"Watchin over me  
My hope sees  
What the future will bring  
When you wrap your wings  
And take me where you are  
Where you and I will be together  
Once again, we'll be dancin in the moonlight  
Just like we used to do  
And you'll be smilin back at me  
Only then will I be free  
When I can be, where you are"  
  
Ash twirled Misty about and both laughed a little.   
  
"And I can see your face  
Your kiss I still can taste  
Not a memory erased"  
  
Both Ash and Misty stopped laughing when they heard that part of the song, memories from the day before flooding back. They danced there slowly, lost in each other's eyes. Misty pulled him in closer and rested her head on his shoulder. Ash smiled and breathed in the smell of her hair. He looked up at the stars above.  
  
"Oh, how I see your star  
Shinin down on me  
And I'd do anything  
If I could just, be right there where you are  
  
Where you and I will breathe together  
Once again we'll be dancin in the moonlight  
Just like we used to do  
And you'll be smilin back at me (you'll be smilin back at me)  
  
Only then will I be free  
Then I will be free, so take me where you are"  
  
Ash closed his eyes and listened to the music, savoring the moment.  
  
"Now baby there are times when selfishly  
I wishin that you were here with me  
So I can wipe the tears from your eyes and make you see  
  
That every night when you are dreamin  
I'm here to guard you from afar"  
  
Misty also closed her eyes and listened to the song.   
  
"And anytime I feel in love  
I'll close my eyes and dream of where you are  
  
where you are  
  
Where you and I will breathe together  
Once again we'll be dancin in the moonlight  
Just like we used to do  
And you'll be smilin back at me (you'll be smilin back at me)  
  
Only then will I be free  
Then I will be free"  
  
As the song ended Misty lifted her head and looked up at Ash. She had been thinking about the day before and decided she needed to know what he really felt. No more pretending to be just friends. No more hiding the truth. It was now or never.  
"Ash?"  
"Yeah?" he said barely above a whisper.  
"Can I ask you something?" she said hesitantly.  
"Sure. Shoot." He smiled warmly.  
"I...I need to know something..." she began. Ash gave her a puzzled look as she continued. "I need to know why you kissed me yesterday. And why you….ran away?" she asked.   
Ash was not expecting that. He had no idea how he would answer her. He didn't even know the answer. Or did he...  
As he was thinking about the question, Misty took his silence as a sign that he didn't feel the way she had wanted him to and didn't want to answer her. Embarrassed, she turned and fled. Shocked, Ash ran after her calling her name. She began to cry as tears flowed down her cheeks. She only ran faster the more Ash called out to her. He accidentally ran into a garbage can and fell over. As soon as he got up again, she was gone.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
5-3 Unknown Secrets  
  
  
Ash ran back to the dance floor to find Chad and Crystal. They had heard the commotion and asked what had happened. Ash explained that they were talking when Misty had got upset and ran off.   
"What did you say to her?" Chad asked.  
"It's not what I did say, it's what I didn't say..." Ash said sadly. "I have to find her and straighten things out."  
"Ok, we'll go back to your house and wait there in case she shows up." Crystal suggested.  
Ash smiled and nodded, "Thanks guys." Then he took off in the direction he had followed her.  
  
Misty sobbed harder and harder. 'How could I be so stupid. Why did I ask him that? Of course he was going to freak out about it. Now there's no way we can remain friends.' She stopped running and leaned against a tree. She stood there crying into her hands. When she looked up, she saw a shadow of a man standing a few feet away. "Ash?" she sniffed.  
  
Ash looked all over for her with no luck. He ran back to the house to check if she had gone there yet. When he got there, he walked in on Chad and Crystal hugging with Crystal sobbing into his shoulder as he comforted her. "What's going on? What happened?" Ash asked worried. 'Had they found Misty? Was she ok?'  
They both turned toward Ash then they looked at each other. "There's something I need to tell you..." Crystal said in between sobs. "And your not going to like it."  
  
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Wohoo! Another one! Ain't I great at cliffhangers? As always write to me if you have any comments or questions at misty411pp@aol.com. And also review too if you could please! The next and last chapter should be up soon in a few weeks. Sorry the last one took so long but I didn't know when ff.net was going to be working again. C ya!  



	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer and AN: Although the previous disclaimer in Chapter 1 still pertains, I felt I needed to add a few things to it. Another character added who belongs to me is Alex Dawson, Chad's brother. Even I do not care for new-trainer stories, but felt they were necessary for the way I wanted this fic to turn out. Besides, I thought Gary and Team Rocket were over-used as "the bad guys" so I added my own character. Which of the characters to be named the villain(s) is entirely up to you...   
This chapter is also the most violent part of the fic and the PG-13 rating definitely comes into terms here.   
Also, this fic has taken me a while to finish (over a year now) and I want to thank the people who chose not to badger me into finishing it as soon as possible. I wrote it not only for your entertainment, but for mine as well. I do appreciate the amount of encouragement and positive responses I received. If not for you I probably would have never been able to finish this. Thanks.   
~Misty411~   
P.S. There is a chance this may not be the end. An epilogue is very likely to follow...   
  
  
  
  
6-1 "Secrets, secrets are no fun..."   
  
Ash stared blankly at the two, a confused expression mixed with a worrisome gut feeling causing him to feel uneasy at what was about to be said.   
"I'm listening," he said quietly as he sat down on one of the living-room chairs. Chad and Crystal also sat down, Chad with a pained expression and Crystal, her face contorted as if she were trying to find the right words to say.   
"When I was a little girl," Crystal began, "my mom was in a terrible accident and was killed."   
"I know." Ash paused at Crystal's shocked expression. "Chad told me all about the fire and I'm very sorry it happened. But what does this have to do with..."   
"What you don't know, Ash, is that I started the fire." Crystal interrupted as she looked down in shame. Ash only stared wide-eyed.   
"It was an accident. I...I didn't know she was even there. It was late and...Alex had asked me to meet him there. She must have heard me sneak out and followed me there 'cuz next thing I knew she startled me and I dropped the lantern in the hay stack...and...it...it happened so fast." She said as fresh tears streamed down her face. "She was like an angel. She made sure we made it out ok before she got herself out. She put us before herself and it killed her! There wasn't enough time...it collapsed on her," she sniffed, "Was an old barn after all. Wasn't much holdin' it up in the first place." Crystal wiped her eyes and looked up at Ash. He was in a state of shock. She took a deep breath and continued.   
"Anyway, Alex and me had been secretly dating for sometime by then. We decided it would be best that way so as to not make things...weird between Chad and us. He was my best friend then, and I knew he wouldn't like me going out with his own brother. But then something happened...something I never expected to happen." She looked up at Chad, who had also been staring at the ground, and smiled.   
"I fell in love."   
He looked up at her quickly and stared intensely into her eyes.   
"I was just too much of a fool to realize it until it was too late. I started getting edgy and I'd get angry at every little thing. Most the time I took it out on you, Chad, and I'm sorry. I was angry at myself for the fire, for starting a relationship I knew I shouldn't have, and for all the lies and names I put you through." She smiled disgustedly at herself. "I just couldn't take it anymore! All we ever did was fight, and it hurt too much to put up with, so...I ran. I ran as far away as I could. I wanted to get away from it all and put miles between me and...my past."   
Chad only looked at her with tearful eyes. She turned to Ash. "Before I left, though, Alex caught me packing some of my stuff. He was angry. He got...violent and threatened to tell his parents and Chad everything that happened the night of the fire. I pleaded with him not to, but he wouldn't budge. He said I had to stay with him or else he'd make me sorry. So I stayed for the night. The next day when everyone woke up, I was gone. No goodbye or a note saying where I was going, too afraid Alex would find me."   
"Crystal...what are you saying?" Ash whispered. He was now glaring daggers at her and she shivered.   
"Remember...the day you found me and Alex in the park? He isn't one to let someone off easy...and I...I think Misty might be in danger..." Ash slammed his fist on the table and stood suddenly. Crystal bit her lip hard, tasting blood there, at the sight of the very angry boy.   
"You mean to tell me that all this time, from the day in the park to your damn storytelling tonight about your screwed up life...you knew this entire time how dangerous he was!?" Ash screamed. Crystal only nodded, to scared and ashamed to do anything else. Ash winced at her repulsively and turned toward the door.   
"Wait, Ash, please! I'm sorry!" Crystal wailed after him. Ash turned slowly toward her.   
"If anything happens to Misty tonight, I'll never forgive you...," he warned. Then he was gone.   
  
  
  
  
  
6-2 "Secrets, secrets hurt someone..."   
  
Ash ran as fast as his feet would carry him. Instinct told him where they were as he neared the entrance to the Pallet Town City Park.   
  
****************   
  
"So you're here by yourself then?" Alex grinned at the redhead standing before him. She looked at him strangely and nodded. "I don't want to talk about it..." She said as she turned to leave.   
"Then lets not talk at all," he said as he grabbed her by the arm and threw her against the tree.   
"What the..." Misty began but was silenced with a swift slap in the face. She tried to scream but his hand covered her mouth, allowing only a faint peep to escape her lips. No matter how much she tried to struggle out of his grasp, he was way to strong. He overpowered her easily and he knew it. Tears streamed down her face helplessly, as she felt the dress being literally torn to pieces. She new this was it and imagined herself leaving this world in such a degrading way. She closed her eyes and was just about to give up hope when she suddenly felt something knock Alex off of her at the speed of light and throw him to the ground. She opened her eyes and there before her eyes was her savor, towering above the fallen Alex with a menacing look in his eyes.   
"Ash!" she cried out to him.   
He turned toward her and looked at her with concerned eyes. Misty's eyes went wide.   
"Ash look out!" she screamed. He heard movement behind him and turned just in time to see Alex coming at him with a knife, just missing his left shoulder and wounding his arm instead. Ash jumped back and clutched his arm painfully. Alex flipped the knife in his hand, glaring at Ash with eyes as dead as the Black Sea. He came at him again, but Ash was too quick for him and dodged out of the way. Again and again Alex ran toward Ash, getting dangerously closer each time. Ash was slowing more and more because of his arm and Misty new she had to do something quick. She looked around for something, anything to attract Alex's attention away from Ash. Just then she heard something running toward them and saw a bright yellow blur rush past her.   
"This is it you little punk. You're gonna pay you little piece of..."   
"PIKACHUUUUUUUUUU!" Came a cry beside them as a flash of lightning struck Alex frying him and blasting him sky high.   
"Pikachu!" Ash smiled. "You followed me didn't you, old buddy?" he said as he slumped to his knees to pet his little friend.   
"Pi Pikachu!" it smiled.   
"Ash, your hurt bad." Misty said as she ran over and inspected his cut. Ash grimaced, "I'll be just fine."   
Misty stopped and looked into his eyes.   
"Thankyou," she whispered as a tear fell from her eye. Ash stared at her face for a moment, then took his hand and wiped the tear away. He took her in his arms, carefully, and she sobbed into his shoulder.   
  
  
  
  
6-3 "Where we are..."   
  
After the incident in the park, Misty walked Ash to the hospital to tend to the gash in his arm and to get herself checked out. She called Officer Jenny to let her know about Alex and charge him with attempted manslaughter and rape. She also called Chad and Crystal to let them know they were all right. They came by shortly after to take pikachu home and offer them their help if needed. She stayed the entire night with him until they were finished and released him to go home. It was nearing midnight when they left the hospital.   
"Misty?" Ash stopped walking. She turned toward him.   
"What? What's wrong?"   
"I have a confession to make. I know it's late and everything, but, well, seeing you against that tree, pinned by Alex. It made me realize that life is too precious to waste a moment of, and I need to tell you before I might possibly lose my chance."   
"Ash, you're scaring me..."   
"It's nothing to be scared about, but I can't tell you here in the middle of the road. Come with me," he said as he took her hand and lead her to the field near his house. The place of their first kiss.   
They both noticed the small, cool breeze and the warm air surrounding them. The night sky was clear of clouds and the moon and stars shone brightly.   
Ash stopped and looked up at the sky.   
"Remember when we danced tonight and you asked me that question?"   
Misty's eyes fell as she sadly nodded. 'So this is what was going to happen? He was going to turn her down right here and now,' she thought bitterly.   
"Look Ash, I made a mistake ok? I jumped to the wrong conclusions and I'm sorry," she said as she turned to leave toward the house.   
"Wait Misty."   
"I said I was sorry Ash, so can we please just forget it happened?" She said angrily as tears were forming in her eyes.   
"But Misty..." Silent tears were streaming down her face now.   
"I don't want to hear..."   
Just then she felt two strong arms encircle her waist and lovingly pull her into their grasp. Ash nestled his face close to her ear and gently whispered the words they had both been yearning to hear for so long.   
"I love you."...   
  
  
  
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Again, expect an epilogue soon. I hope you enjoyed this! Ta ta!


	7. Epilogue

Where You Are: Epilogue  
  
AN: Thankyou! Thankyou so much for all of your support and all the reviews. My goal was to receive 50 reviews and last I checked I had almost 60! I'm so happy that I got the response I did on my very first fiction. Sadly, this may be my first and last fic I'll write, but I'm not positive yet. I did have fun writing this and may find time and the motivation to write another, hopefully sooner than later. Anyway, thanks again and I also wanted to share that my email address has changed to singLF@yahoo.com. Bye!  
  
  
  
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The warm breeze carried the sound of a horse's soft stride down the meadow path. The ponyta came to a stop as it's passenger dismounted by a single oak tree and sat down under it's branches. The boy leaned back against the massive trunk of the tree and tried to relax as much as possible in his current situation. Sincere apologies had never been one of his strong points, and he knew it. He grabbed a blade of grass and began twiddling it between his fingers. He looked up into the cloudy sky where rain clouds had been forming all morning. Without taking his gaze away, he took in a deep breath and sighed.  
"Hey."   
"Hey..." A simple response that held so much more. The girl causing him such grief was also leaning against the trunk of the tree staring at the sky. The boy turned to look at her and sighed again. "Looks like it's gonna storm soon."  
"It's nothing I can't handle."  
"I know."  
They remained like that, silent, for another minute or two until...  
"I'll be back to help at the lab soon, Ash. Don't worry."  
"That's not what I'm worried about."  
"I know."  
"..."  
Silence again.  
"I'm sorry I hurt you."  
The girl turned slowly to look at Ash with confused eyes.  
"You hurt me? Ash, I should be the one who is sorry."  
"Yeah, well, I think we both have things we regret. My regret is the way I treated you last night."  
Ash shifted uneasily. "Crystal, you told me some of your most painful and darkest secrets that night. You bared your soul and I ignored you and left you. I kicked you when you were down, when you had done nothing wrong."  
"What are you talking about? I didn't tell you the truth. I lied about Chad, Alex, and my past..."  
"You didn't lie, you just didn't tell the whole truth."  
"It's the same thing."  
Ash looked off in the distance. "Maybe, but you did it because you thought it was the right thing to do, right?"  
Crystal paused and looked down as she took it in. She nodded and said, "Yeah, I guess I did. I wanted to protect you guys and make sure the same thing didn't happen to Misty."  
Ash looked at her and smiled. "And I'm grateful you made the right decision in the end. If you hadn't, who knows what would have happened..." he trailed off in bitter recognition. "And I am really sorry. I was so scared and worried about Misty..." he stopped, "but that's no excuse. I shouldn't have yelled and been so hard on you. I still want us to be friends."  
Crystal turned and grinned, "And what makes you think I want to be your friend after you dumped me for that red-head."  
Ash just stared blankly and confused. "Huh?"  
She giggled and shoved him, which he followed back with his own shove and laugh. He stood up and turned towards her, grinning.  
"Whatever, I'm heading back. You can stay out in the rain for all I care." He shot back playfully, then he made his way to the ponyta he had ridden and was about to get on when,  
"Ash?"  
He turned toward the sound and saw Crystal smiling back at him with the most genuine smile he'd seen all day from her.   
  
"Thanks."  
  
  
  
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(A few months past)  
"Professor! Welcome back home!"  
"Thankyou, Ash. It looks like all went well while I was away," he stated as he gazed around at the lab. Misty was the next to notice Professor Oak's arrival. "Hi Professor Oak!"  
"Well hello Misty!"  
"Togeprriiii."  
"And togepi."  
"Pi!"  
"And pikachu of course," he laughed. "I was just telling Ash how wonderful the lab looks. You both must have learned to really work together while I was away."   
Ash and Misty just looked at each other and smiled as Ash put an arm around Misty.  
"Ha! I'll say!" Came a nasal-toned voice from the doorway. Gone unnoticed before, Gary stood leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on his face.   
"Gary? What are you doing here?"  
"Need I remind you that I live here loser!"  
Ash's face fell a bit. Same old, same old.  
"I met up with Gary in the Orange Islands," the Prof. began, "He had gotten my message and found me there. He decided to stay there with me and help out until the problem was resolved. He was actually quite a bit of help."  
"So while you were here babysitting, I was out saving the world." Gary stated with his nose in the air.  
Ash frowned, "Whatever..."  
  
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(Later that night)  
"Well, Prof. I guess this is goodbye. I'm leaving early tomorrow to go onto the next league. Heard the new one is even tougher than the last three combined!" Ash's eyes glazed over in excitement. Misty rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head lightly to snap him out of his reverie. "Goodbye Prof.! Bye Crystal! Bye Chad! We'll come visit soon!" Misty yelled and waved, along with Ash, as they headed toward his home. Chad and Crystal, arm in arm, stood next to Prof. Oak waving with smiles on their faces. Leaving were two people they would never forget.  
The next morning, after a good night's rest, Ash and Misty set off to new adventures. As they were heading through the nearest forest, Ash looked at her lovingly, took hold of her hand and kissed it gently. She turned and looked into his eyes. Her smile spoke a thousand words. Through one of the most memorable summers they had ever had, their love overcame all obstacles and prevailed. They were where they were meant to be. With each other. ~ 


End file.
